Positive Thinking 


Avoid negative thoughts of powerlessness, dejection, failure, and despair. Chronic stress makes us vulnerable to negative suggestion. Learn to focus on positives. 

Focus on your strengths
Learn from the stress you are under
Look for opportunities in the stressful situation
Seek out the positive – make a change

Here is one way to get out of the destructive negative thinking habits. All possible situations we face can be classified into two categories: 

One: Situations where we can do something to change the outcome. In this case, don’t just sit there and worry about it. Go ahead and take care of it. You have control. Procrastination is the root cause for many stressful episodes.

Second: Situations where you have no control on the outcome. In this case sitting and worrying will not make any difference on the outcome. So, don’t worry about it. Let the situation resolve by itself; you cannot do anything about this anyway.

The key to moving on is forgiveness - of self and others. Although it is a waste of energy to worry about future events over which we have no control, it is human nature to do so. Plan and prioritise as best you can, and then be easy on yourself'. The future hasn't happened, and the past is not going to happen again. 

And keep on practicing. Pythagoras said, "Choose always the way that seems the best, however rough it may be. Custom will soon render it easy and agreeable. "Just as patterns and habits can trap us when we let them, we can make them our well-worn path to happiness and satisfaction.



Remember the "Serenity Prayer" :
God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; 
courage to change the things I can; 
and the wisdom to know the difference- 
living one day at a time; 
enjoying one moment at a time; 
accepting hardships as the pathway to peace. 

Another important sense is the sense of humour. In breathing new life into the old wisdom that "laughter is the best medicine," the late Norman Cousins transformed his own experiences into a message of healing and hope for millions.
Humour is a very important therapy for reducing stress. We will cover this in detail later.